Single-Channel Recording of Ligand-Gated Ion Channels
- Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), 13125 Berlin, Germany; NeuroCure, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Abstract
Single-channel recordings reveal the microscopic properties of individual ligand-gated ion channels. Such recordings contain much more information than measurements of ensemble behavior and can yield structural and functional information about the receptors that participate in fast synaptic transmission in the brain. With a little care, a standard patch-clamp electrophysiology setup can be adapted for single-channel recording in a matter of hours. Thenceforth, it is a realistic aim to record single-molecule activity with microsecond resolution from arbitrary cell types, including cell lines and neurons.
Footnotes
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↵1 Correspondence: Plested{at}fmp-berlin.de
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From the Ion Channels collection, edited by Paul J. Kammermeier, Ian Duguid, and Stephan Brenowitz.
- © 2016 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
